[RDavidson]

Nearfield, you'd be surprised how far 5 wpc will get you with Omegas. Not only are they easy to drive electrically, but also physically (because they have such strong motors and light comes). They will react to fractions of a watt.

At 94dbs at 1 watt at 1 meter, that's LOUD. That can cause ear damage. If you sit around 2 meters away, I can't remember all the math, but I believe 2 watts is all you need to still get 94dbs at 2 meters. If you mainly listen at 70-80 dbs (as it seems most of us do the majority of the time), you might use less than a watt except during peaks.

I think you just need to sit tight till you get your speakers. You're starting to concern yourself with things that are likely of little or no concern. Been there. Done that. I get it.

[roscoe65]

At 94dB/w/m, 1 watt will give you 94dB.  2 watts will give you 97dB.  If you double the distance to 2m, 2 watts will give you 91dB.  Since doubling the number of speakers doubles the acoustic power, 2 watts into 2 speakers at 2 meters will give you 94dB.

[EVOLVIST]

I think you just need to sit tight till you get your speakers. You're starting to concern yourself with things that are likely of little or no concern. Been there. Done that. I get it.

Hahaha! Awesome! Because you're so right! 

[EVOLVIST]

So, I got my CAMs today. They are beautiful! Such build and quality!

Started some tunes up and it sounded pretty good, then quickly went to shit. Haha! Time to break these in for a good 200hrs straight.

One thing that was quickly apparent, though, is that just with a little tinkering the stereo imaged snapped right into place. Pow! Everything was right there. Even after opening my eyes and hearing vocals which sounded right in front of me, the vocals were still right in front of me, even though I was looking at a blank wall now. The illusion is that strong.

This was at 6ft. I'll try next at 3ft in a triangle.

[EVOLVIST]

It's almost spooky how well these CAMs image. It's as if everything is in the center, floating in dead space, while at the same time I can hear activity to the sides of the speakers.

So, here's my question: eventually I will get an amp, but how many Watts would it take to break the CAMs? I see 2Watts to drive them, but is there are rating of how much they'll take? I certainly wouldn't want to do any damage to them with an amp.

[roscoe65]

It's almost spooky how well these CAMs image. It's as if everything is in the center, floating in dead space, while at the same time I can hear activity to the sides of the speakers.

So, here's my question: eventually I will get an amp, but how many Watts would it take to break the CAMs? I see 2Watts to drive them, but is there are rating of how much they'll take? I certainly wouldn't want to do any damage to them with an amp.

Good question Evolvist.  I'm also looking at using a pair of Omega's in my HT environment in which they will be fed 50wpc when not hooked up to a tube amp.  The speaker efficiency means we can only give them so much power before we go deaf.  But in the interest of looking at the maximum power they can realistically take, I looked at similar Fostex drivers.  The Fostex 6.5" full range drivers are rated from 22-30wpc steady state and 65-90wpc "music power".  I think mounted in an enclosure the Fostex (and probably the Omega) would be comfortable with 50wpc. 

[EVOLVIST]

Hmmmm... 50wpc is really, really kicking it loud! I'm not doubting you. I wonder if Louis can give us the definitive answer, though. The Max room size I will be in is a 12x12. It's not about me playing so loud; it's about me knowing the boundaries, as well as I have many classical recordings that are at low volume. All of my The Doors and Tom Petty HDTracks are at low volume, as well.

Anyway, I have about 192hrs left of break in - give or take - on these CAMs. I've been feeding them a lot of bass.

[roscoe65]

I was merely stating that 50 wpc is probably the most power the speaker could take thermally.  50 wpc into a pair of alnico monitors would give you about 110 dB at the listening position.

[IanVan]

Any chance someone with a pair of CAMs could try them in an extreme-nearfield setup, sitting about 2' from the front baffle, and let me know if they still sound 'right'?  I am highly restricted in my next house, and I want to optimize sound in a very tight setting.

The CAMS come highly recommended, but I have no means of knowing in advance if they will work in a compact configuration.

Thank you.

[Doody]

Ian:

I use my CAMs on my standing desk in my home office. 2-3 feet from driver to ear, each.

They sound fucking fantastic.

Doody

UPDATE: Driven directly via a Chord Hugo 2 - no amplifier.

[RDavidson]

Very nearfield, I think the only challenge might be getting the bass to fill-in. The drivers will be moving so little air. This can highly depend on your associated gear. What amp will you be using? If you haven't chosen yet, I'd get something with very little power and low damping factor...like the well-reviewed Decware Zen. I don't think you can go wrong.